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By AtiveSite · Published 07/11/2026 · Updated 07/11/2026 · Every figure is linked to its source below.
Cape May County is a county of New Jersey with 94,941 residents. Its economy produced $7,801 million in 2024 (ranked #18 of 21 counties) and had 42,713 jobs with an average annual pay of $48,574 (#21 for pay). The unemployment rate was 5.1% in 2026M09. It is part of the Atlantic City-Hammonton, NJ metropolitan area (central county).
Cape May County produced about $7,801 million of goods and services in 2024, which is 0.9% of the combined output of the 21 counties of New Jersey that BEA reports (about 1.0% of the state's population lives here), and ranks it 18th of 21 on that measure. Per resident that is $82,169, 9% below the state average; the average for all counties of the state taken together is $90,541. In current dollars output grew 5.2% from 2023 to 2024, before adjusting for inflation.
BLS counts 42,713 jobs located in Cape May County on average in 2024, spread over 4,020 employer sites (about 11 jobs per site). That is 0.45 jobs for every resident, above the 0.40 of the typical county in New Jersey, which tells you whether the county is a place people mostly commute to for work or a place they commute from. The average annual pay per job was $48,574, 39% below the average of all counties in the state ($48,574 against $79,933). Average pay is total wages divided by jobs, so it is pulled up by high earners and counts part-time jobs as whole jobs; it is not the pay of a typical worker. The number of jobs rose 0.9% from 2023 to 2024.
The three largest private industries are accommodation and food services (33.4% of private jobs, $34,230 a year on average), retail trade (20.2% of private jobs, $38,677 a year on average), health care and social assistance (13.4% of private jobs, $57,934 a year on average). Together they hold 67.0% of private-sector jobs. Among industries with at least 3% of jobs, the best paying is professional and technical services at $69,189 a year, followed by construction ($62,952). The county is specialised in several industries: accommodation and food services (2.9 times the US share, 11,080 jobs); arts, entertainment, recreation (2.8 times the US share, 2,001 jobs); retail trade (1.6 times the US share, 6,710 jobs). A location quotient above 1 means an industry employs a larger share of workers here than in the whole country, so these are the industries where local employers compete hardest for skills.
In 2026M09 the unemployment rate in Cape May County was 5.1%, 24% above the average of the state's counties (5.1% against 4.1%). The labour force (people working or looking for work) numbered 44,446. Over the last 12 months it ranged from 5.1% (2026M09) to 12.1% (2026M02); the latest month is preliminary and BLS revises it. These county rates are not seasonally adjusted, so compare the same month across years.
The median household income was $91,128 (ACS 2020–2024), 12% below the state median ($91,128 against $103,556). None of the largest places of the guide has this as its main county, which usually means a smaller or more rural county; the figures above still describe the whole county.
Counties close to Cape May County in output are Hunterdon County, Cumberland County, Salem County, Sussex County. Compare their jobs, pay and unemployment on their own pages.
| Measure ⇅ | Value ⇅ | Rank among the 21 counties of New Jersey ⇅ |
|---|---|---|
| Population | 94,941 | 20 of 21 |
| GDP 2024 | $7,801 million | 18 of 21 |
| GDP per resident | $82,169 | 11 of 21 |
| Jobs (QCEW 2024) | 42,713 | 18 of 21 |
| Average annual pay | $48,574 | 21 of 21 |
| Job change vs 2023 | +0.9% | 9 of 21 |
| Unemployment rate (lower is better) | 5.1% | 18 of 21 |
| Median household income | $91,128 | 14 of 21 |
Federal jobs in New Jersey (304) →All cities of New JerseyState guide: New Jersey
These links go to official sources and open in a new window. The first one is the government's or company's own site as listed in Wikidata (property "official website"); check it before relying on it.
None of the 100 largest places of New Jersey has this as its main county, so the guide has no city page here. County figures on the other tabs are complete.
| Industry ⇅ | Jobs ⇅ | Share of private jobs ⇅ | Average annual pay ⇅ | Concentration vs US (location quotient) ⇅ |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Accommodation and food services | 11,080 | 33.4% | $34,230 | 2.85 |
| Retail trade | 6,710 | 20.2% | $38,677 | 1.57 |
| Health care and social assistance | 4,459 | 13.4% | $57,934 | 0.73 |
| Construction | 2,508 | 7.6% | $62,952 | 1.12 |
| Arts, entertainment, recreation | 2,001 | 6.0% | $36,272 | 2.79 |
| Other services (except public administration) | 1,538 | 4.6% | $35,764 | 1.20 |
| Administrative and waste services | 1,242 | 3.7% | $44,863 | 0.49 |
| Professional and technical services | 1,002 | 3.0% | $69,189 | 0.34 |
| Real estate and rental | 804 | 2.4% | $48,570 | 1.21 |
| Finance and insurance | 726 | 2.2% | $90,129 | 0.42 |
| Wholesale trade | 609 | 1.8% | $66,626 | 0.36 |
| Agriculture, forestry, fishing | 292 | 0.9% | $57,386 | 0.84 |
| Management of companies | 122 | 0.4% | $85,464 | 0.17 |
| Educational services | 117 | 0.4% | $20,804 | 0.13 |
A location quotient above 1 means the industry is more concentrated here than in the US. BLS withholds sectors with too few employers.
| Measure ⇅ | Value ⇅ |
|---|---|
| Labour force | 44,446 |
| Employed residents | 42,168 |
| Unemployed residents | 2,278 |
| Unemployment rate | 5.1% |
| Jobs located in the county (QCEW) | 42,713 |
| Employer sites | 4,020 |
Residents employed and jobs located here differ: many residents commute to other counties.
| County ⇅ | Population ⇅ | GDP 2024 ⇅ | GDP per resident ⇅ | Jobs ⇅ | Average annual pay ⇅ | Unemployment ⇅ |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bergen County | 962,316 | $105,805 million | $109,948 | 438,240 | $80,639 | 3.5% |
| Middlesex County | 871,290 | $86,705 million | $99,513 | 430,555 | $82,400 | 4.2% |
| Essex County | 863,002 | $76,180 million | $88,273 | 349,076 | $88,369 | 5.1% |
| Hudson County | 718,323 | $65,736 million | $91,513 | 273,729 | $94,901 | 3.8% |
| Ocean County | 654,362 | $31,709 million | $48,458 | 189,912 | $57,452 | 4.0% |
| Monmouth County | 645,353 | $52,693 million | $81,650 | 274,000 | $70,560 | 3.7% |
| Union County | 579,290 | $51,947 million | $89,674 | 229,010 | $84,322 | 4.4% |
| Camden County | 527,257 | $34,620 million | $65,660 | 205,819 | $69,051 | 4.5% |
| Passaic County | 521,012 | $29,074 million | $55,803 | 170,830 | $63,668 | 4.7% |
| Morris County | 514,528 | $74,395 million | $144,589 | 298,824 | $101,208 | 3.5% |
| Burlington County | 467,805 | $40,867 million | $87,360 | 211,549 | $70,647 | 3.8% |
| Mercer County | 385,864 | $56,807 million | $147,219 | 264,154 | $90,503 | 4.2% |
| Somerset County | 349,846 | $54,494 million | $155,766 | 190,468 | $106,418 | 3.7% |
| Gloucester County | 306,954 | $19,111 million | $62,261 | 124,439 | $58,070 | 3.9% |
| Atlantic County | 276,270 | $19,423 million | $70,305 | 125,157 | $59,219 | 4.8% |
| Cumberland County | 153,305 | $8,514 million | $55,533 | 59,688 | $57,729 | 6.1% |
| Sussex County | 145,807 | $6,729 million | $46,149 | 38,360 | $58,693 | 3.7% |
| Hunterdon County | 130,160 | $9,867 million | $75,807 | 46,663 | $75,099 | 3.3% |
| Warren County | 110,849 | $6,162 million | $55,586 | 33,264 | $64,742 | 3.8% |
| Cape May County | 94,941 | $7,801 million | $82,169 | 42,713 | $48,574 | 5.1% |
| Salem County | 65,275 | $7,363 million | $112,806 | 21,587 | $67,562 | 5.1% |
94,941 (Census Bureau ACS 2020–2024).
$7,801 million in 2024 (BEA, current dollars).
5.1% in 2026M09 (BLS, not seasonally adjusted; the latest month may be revised).
42,713 jobs on average in 2024 with an average annual pay of $48,574 (BLS QCEW).